House of Indomitable Spirit

Main menu

Home

The Home of Traditional Goju Ryu Karate for Courtenay,
Comox and the Valley

Karate for Everyone Ages 7 and Up – Beginners to Blackbelts

Toshikan is a martial arts training centre for the whole family – for children, women and men. It is for people who are interested in gaining fitness and self-defense skills in a respectful environment and in self-improvement for both the mind and the body. Toshikan is a traditional Okinawan karate and kobudo dojo. The instructor, Sensei Mac Newton, holds yon dan level in goju ryu karate and yon dan level in kobudo (Okinawan weapons) and regularly receives guidance and instruction from his Okinawan and Japanese teachers, Tetsugi Nakamura Sensei, Morio Higaonna Sensei and Tamayose Hidemi Sensei. Karate students of Toshikan Martial Arts become part of the IOGKF, the International Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate Federation, the longest-running and largest Okinawan traditional karate organization in the world. The Toshikan dojo is a place for learning the skills of karate (empty hand) or kobudo (traditional weapons), or both. It is a place for learning self-defense, for becoming physically fit, stronger and more flexible. It is also a place where one becomes more focused and self-disciplined, more confident, more comfortable with leadership and more empathetic with others. More than anything, it is enjoyable and rewarding.

Okinawa Karate and Kobudo for the Whole Family – Adults and Children

“Train hard. Have fun.”

Sensei Mac Newton has been teaching karate (the traditional Okinawa style of Goju-ryu) and kobudo to adults and children on Vancouver Island for since 1999. His philosophy is that a dojo (karate training place) is a community and that the learning of martial arts must be both fun and challenging enough that students grow and develop in mind, body and spirit. “Making it fun is the key, especially for the children,” says Sensei Mac, ” but enjoyment of the practice is necessary for adults, too, of course, and part of that enjoyment includes comradarie with fellow students, a sense of humour in the dojo and training that is challenging enough to make it interesting. Train hard, have fun.” The practice of karate gives one skills in self-defense, builds confidence and empathy for others, increases flexibility, coordination, strength, agility and balance. Karate is as much about exercise for the mind as it is for the body. One learns some Japanese language and culture, pattern recognition, memory improvement. “Karate is for all ages,” says Sensei Mac. “I have taught students from age 6 to 75. And, it can be a lifetime of learning. I still travel several times a year to train with and learn from my sensei. What I learn from them, I bring back to my students. There are also opportunities for my students to take part in extra seminars and tournaments.”

Toshikan Belongs to International Karate and Kobudo Organizations

Toshikan Martial Arts belongs to the International Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate Federation (IOGKF), the world’s largest truly international traditional karate organization with thousands of members on every continent. The membership means that achievements accomplished by students in the dojo are recognized by the international organization.